Internal-combustion engine.



' Wit" eases J. F. HOPPER. INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 26, 1911.

1,026,317; Patented May 14, 1912.

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fmqU/Mw I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

-J.AMES F. HOPPER, 0F SHERMAN, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T0 HAMLET C. SMITH, OF SHERMAN, TEXAS.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 14, 1912.

Application filed July 26, 1911. Serial No. 640,714.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES F. Horrnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sherman, in the county of Grayson and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

-This invention relates to internal combustion engines, and more particularly to the ignition system of said engines.

The state ofperfection of the present-day internal combustion enginehas not been reached, without deep study and investigation, in the course of which it has been realized that ignition has vastly more to do with efliciency than .was at first believed. The earlynconception 'ofignition was the production of a spark sometime toward theend of the compression stroke, and if this spark was successful in igniting the mixture, that was all that was desired. The character .of the spark, the accuracy of its production,

or the exactness of its timing were points that were disregarded by the designer, becausehe did notv understand that these had any bearing on the power output or on the fuel consumption of the engine.

The charge of mixture represents a certain heat value and has a certain maximum pressure. To exert the greatest possible proportion of this pressure against the piston, each particle of mixture should be made to give up its heat at the instant when the piston is at the end of the compression stroke and ready to move outward on the power stroke. To gain this result, it would be necessary to ignite each particle of the mixture at the same instant, and thus to have ignition and combustion occur at top dead center. The mixture would thus be compressed into minimum space before ig nition and the rise in pressure due to combustion would then be most abrupt, the piston being driven out with maximum force. No existing ignition system will ignite all of the particles of mixture at the same instant. The system in use ignites the mixture at one or two points from which the flame is expectedto communicate itself to the remaining mixture particles.

The object of this invention is the production of an igniting device in the nature of a mass of flame, by effective and simple means, dispensing entirely with a magneto a detail outer view of a portion of the en-' gine cylinder and of a smaller cylinder formed integral, which cylinder comprises a portion of my igniting device; Fig. 4 is a partial view of the engine cylinder with my igniting device shown in section; and Fig."

5 is a partial section along the line XX of Fig. .2.

Referring to the drawings, the engine cylinder is denoted by A, and it has a widened base, A adapted to rest upon-and be secured to a bed B. Within the cylinder A is fitted the primary piston head C to which at C is pivoted a connecting rod D that is connected in the usual manner to crank E of main shaft E, which shaft is supported by bearings B formed integrally with the engine base B. On the shaft E is secured a pinion .F that drives a gear G on the cam shaft H that has bearings .H formed on the bed B. At regular intervals the cam H raises the push rod H pivoted to the walking beam H, opening valve H permitting the escape of the burned gases from the combustion chamber A, andtherefrom to the exhaust conduit A". raises the val 'c stem I, opening intake valve I" admitting mixture to the chamber A The valves are closed respectively by springs H and I. A represents the usual water jacket employed with such engines.

Having thus outlined the principal features of all ordinary internal combustion engines I will now proceed to describe in detail, in connection with the same, my improved igniting device.

An auxiliary cylinder J is preferably castwith the engine cylinder A, it is of smaller bore and fitted with a solid secondary piston J that is driven by the crank H, on cam shaft H, through connecting rod J J being a water jacket of ordinary construction. The up er end of this cylinder opens into the com ustion chamber A where it is pro- The cam I likewise- The top face of valve J 4 vided with a valve J pression or compressed air in the auxiliary ,or secondary cylinder and hold said valve firmly on its seat, until it be engaged by the upper end of the plunger J On the plunger J it passes below an opening J in the cylinder J, allowing the portion of 'ture in the chamber A.

place in the cylinder above the piston or plunger to fill with air, which on the upward stroke of the piston or plunger is compressed'to a density sufiicient to fire the charge of mix- This compressed air of high densit-yjs admitted to the chamber at the proper time by the piston or plunger J which on its upward stroke contacts the stem of valve J The point in the temperature scale atwhich ignition takes the chamber A depends upon the fuel used. That is, the value of the fuel the less bring it to the point of ignition. consider the use of the hydrocarbon, gasolene, as the fuel for an illustration, and the maximum. compression in the chamber A that would be permissible with safety would be 80 to 90 pounds gage, as a compression of 125 pounds per square inch would bring it to the ignition point. With the mixture at the above safe density, a jet of air from the cylinder J at a densityof 150 pounds per square inch contacting the mixture causes instant explosion, and the jet being of conheat' required to siderable volume ignites a large percentage of the mixture, greatly increasing the maximum power output of the engine. Should kerosene or crude oil be the fuel used the point in the temperature scale at which ignition would take place would be higher, re-

Copies of this patent may be obtained for downward stroke of the piston or 'munication between said higher the heating So we will.

having Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

'1. In an internal combustion engine, a primary cylinder having a firing space, a piston working in said primary cylinder and an auxiliary cylinder having communication with said pri1nary cylinder, 1n combination with a valve opening and closing the comcylinders and held on its seat by the compressed gases in said primary cylinder except at predetermined intervals, means working in said auxiliary cylinder to compress air therein and means for actuating the same, said air compressing means engaging and unseating said valve at predetermined intervals to allow the compressed air in said guxiliary cylinder to escape into the firing space of said primary cylinder and thereby ignite the charge therein.

2. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with a combustion chamber intake and exhaust ports, of an air compressor cylinder, air compressing means working therein, said air compressor cylinder opening into the combustion chamber, a valve controlling said opening, said air coinpressing means engaging and unseating said valve at predetermined -intervals to allow the escape of compressed air into the-combust-ion chamber to fire the charge therein.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES F. HOPPER. \Vitnesses:

I-IAMLET C. SMITH, THos. Rllorrnn.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Yatents. Washington, D. G. 

